Anyone that happens to live in or be visiting Jackson Hole the weekend of Friday October 16th to the 18th should consider staying an extra day and attending what I’m sure will be a delicious Spanish themed dinner at The Wort Hotel on Monday October 19th. With the help of the beverage directors and chefs at The Wort, I think we’ve created a wonderful food and wine pairing featuring several wines we import and mouth watering dishes which I’m sure won’t disappoint. What I’m most excited about is for everyone attending to try the Emilio Lustau “Old East India” sherry- I hope it will open some eyes (and palates!) to a whole new flavor profile and exploration into the wonderful world of wine. Here is the menu that the chef’s have created:

Wine Dinner

Fabulous Four-Course Dinner Featuring

Cuisine and Wines of Spain

* Cuerno de Beef Carpaccio – a little Horn of Thinly Sliced Rare Beef, Stuffed with Micro Greens and Manchego,

Drizzled with a Citrus-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Chozas Carrascal – El Cava

*Toasted Goat Cheese on Arugula with Roasted Tomato and a Cracked Peppercorn Vinaigrette, Served on a Crostini

Muro Crianza

*Spanish Spice Rubbed Lamb Loin, with a Lemon-Coriander Sauce.  Wild Rice with Toasted Pecans and Scallions

Ondalan Reserva

*Flourless Chocolate Torte, Served warm with Poached Figs and a Saffron Whipped Crème Fraiche

Emilio Lustau Old East India Sherry

I will be fortunate enough to be attending and I look forward to meeting everyone and discussing the wines and answering any questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the event or the wines!

Salud,

Michael

The fine team at Bodegas Vina Hermosa has been busy the past year and a half developing and creating wines that maximize the healthy qualities of wine. Here is the result of their hard work and effort as quoted from the bodega-

I can’t believe how many people now live in Jackson Hole Wyoming! It seems to grow every time we return to the beautiful surroundings of the Grand Tetons. To kick off the 2009 Memorial Day weekend, the P.R. Grisley Company joined a very diverse group of people at the 31st Annual Jackson Hole wine festival.

The day started with representatives from restaurants, wine stores, and hotels joining the exhibitors for a few hours before the public joined in on the fun. For over 6 hours we presented our wines, educated new wine lovers on several unique wines from Portugal, Spain and France. We poured a white and a rose wine from Chozas Carrascal located in the Utiel-Requena region of Spain, a fantastic Douro red from Quinta de Carregosa in Portugal and red wines from Bodegas Medrano Irazu, Santiago Ijalba and Ondalan in Rioja. We also poured the Chateau de Monbadon from Bordeaux and the Cuve Sabine from the Cotes du Rhone region in France. Everyone seemed to enjoy the diversity represented at the table, and they were excited to try some wines from several unique areas within the Iberian Peninsula. It was definitely one of the best-run events we have been able to participate in, and we hope to be asked back next year.

The festival was a wonderful combination of great wines, friendly people, and amazing scenery. There were over 400 wines presented from around the globe, and almost one thousand people in attendance enjoying the unique event. If you’ve never visited Jackson Hole, it’s a beautiful place filled with culture, western charm, friendly people, and some of the most amazing mountains in the US- not too mention people with great taste in wine!

–Peter

There is never a dull moment at Bodegas Medrano Irazu, where winemaker Amador Medrano Irazu always wears a smile- well, more like a smirk. He is a wiry man in his mid thirties who loves his work and is passionate about it, there is no doubt. So, it comes as no surprise that he owns some of the highest vines in all of DOC Rioja, designed his own trellis system to achieve maximum potential for his vines, and is known all over Rioja Alavesa. Some think he’s crazy, others maybe part genius/part mad scientist, but one thing is clear- he is leading the way for every producer in DOC Rioja.

As Spain continues to produce fantastic white wine from all over the country, it seems like white wines in Rioja have succumbed to the same scrutiny as their red wines- should they be made in a traditional or modern style? While you can find incredible white wines of both styles in Rioja produced mainly with the Viura variety (along with others such as Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca), they are usually overshadowed by Albarino from Galicia and Verdejo in Rueda. In response to other regions and varieties gaining more and more popularity, the Rioja Consejo Regulador has recently allowed the use of chardonnay and other non-native varieties in Rioja as well. While I’m sure this will be quite the controversy within Rioja, I worry more about the response to the addition in the US. As we’re already saturated with California Chardonnay, I just hope that the US consumer doesn’t begin to associate chardonnay with Rioja. Along with Ryan and Gabriella of Catavino.net, I don’t feel there was anything wrong with the white wines being produced in Rioja- I just think they haven’t explored the full potential of what their native white varieties can achieve. In my opinion, the addition has the potential to destroy Rioja’s image, not improve it, and is only an attempt to gain some of the white wine market share being exported from Spain.

Not one to sit back and watch his beloved Rioja become eclipsed by these other regions and varieties, Amador has been experimenting with the Viura variety to determine what kind of potential this grape possesses. With his love of Tokaji, Sauternes, and sweeter Sherries, he set out to see if Viura could make a quality sweet wine. After one successful and one disastrous attempt under his belt, I guess you could say that the “third time’s a charm” as he has been granted the first late harvest, or “Vendimia Tardia” approval from the DOC Rioja. I’ve had the chance to taste both successful vintages and they are absolutely fantastic and intriguing. These wines have wonderful acidity and complexity, as well as incredible floral aromas and honey notes on the nose. While there are some producers in Rioja such as Marques de Caceres producing sweeter wines with native varieties, they have yet to receive an official guarantee from the Consejo Regulador. With Medrano receiving the first official guarantee, I hope many other producers will now realize that they literally have incredible potential growing right at their feet.

I can’t wait to see how Amador will develop and brand this groundbreaking wine in the future. Hopefully it will bring some attention back to Rioja and it’s native varieties and what can be accomplished with a bit of imagination and hard work!

–Michael 

After wrapping up all our loose ends after nearly a month on the road, I finally found some time to sit down for a new post and edit the hours of footage to make a short video for everyone to enjoy. We had an absolutely incredible trip that began in Pittsburgh before moving on to Philadelphia for wine shows during the Pennsylvania Wine Week. The shows went well considering the current economic situation, and we were excited to show some new wines at both shows such as the recently available Alana-Tokaji Late harvest Furmint. This wine received wonderful responses in both cities and we were glad that everyone enjoyed it! We were also quite lucky to have Paul Sharp from Europvin join us in Philadelphia to help educate consumers about sherry, which also went over well with the crowds. I think with Paul’s amazing wealth of information we were able to change some opinions about sherry and hopefully expand some more palates.

After the Pennsylvania shows we headed to directly to Spain where we spent some time with friends in Madrid. They took us to some “secret” tapas bars around the city and introduced us to some new foods, which I’m sure we’ll try to recreate in our kitchens. I’m always amazed at the diversity of food Spain has, it seems every time I return I try at least 10 new items I’ve never had before.

We then bid farewell to our friends in Madrid, and met two purchasing agents from the PLCB at the Madrid airport and flew directly to Vigo where we stayed the evening in an amazing hotel right on the Spain/Portugal border as we all tried to recover from our jet lag. The next morning we spent an incredible day in Portugal where we visited Quinta de Gomariz in the northern Vinho Verde region of Portugal. Here we toured the winery and met the people behind these incredible white wines before heading south to the Douro region to visit Quinta de Carregosa, a small producer making excellent red wines. The Douro was an incredible region that was quite literally mountain after mountain completely terraced and covered with vines. The Douro was one of the most breathtaking places I have seen, I hope to return one day and spend some more time enjoying the region. We had an amazing dinner later that night courtesy of the hard work from the fine people  at Vinixa who had set up all of our visits to the various wineries. The family team at Vinixa has been an immense help to us since we began working together last February and we couldn’t have accomplished our tour of Portugal without them. Before and during the dinner, we met and tasted through the line of Quevedo Ports along with Oscar Quevedo. The ports were absolutely incredible with Portuguese dishes like grilled lamb chops, roasted veal, and an amazing chocolate dessert with an orange cream sauce paired with Quevedo’s LBV and Tawny 10 year- delicious! 

With our one day, one night whirlwind tour of Portugal over, we headed north back to Spain to the Galicia region in the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula. There we visited with our good friends and winemakers at Coto de Gomariz to try their new vintages of amazing red and white wines that really impressed all of us. Their red wines were quite a surprise as they are made with interesting local varieties rarely seen outside of Galicia, let alone Spain. Souson, Ferrol, and Brancellao are native red varieties that were almost lost to the region during many political upheavals that Spain has experienced throughout its history. Luckily, there are several producers such as Coto de Gomariz who have dedicated their work to restoring these native varieties and producing incredible wines with them.

After Coto de Gomariz we headed southeast to Ribera del Duero to visit the famous Vega Sicilia family of wines, which include Bodegas Alion and Bodegas Pintia (which is located in nearby DO Toro). We had an amazing tour of the facilities at both Alion and Vega Sicilia before sitting down to an incredible meal where we had the unbelievable opportunity to try wines such as the ’99 Unico, ’02 Valbuena, ’05 Alion and ’06 Pintia. This was the biggest lineup of wines I have ever had the chance to taste, surely one of those days I will never, ever forget for the rest of my life. After our tasting, we had the chance for some down time at the hotel, so we passed the time talking and enjoying a beer for a change on the patio with a cool river running right below us. The next morning it was on the road again, by this time we were getting good at the stop and go schedule we had lined up.

We then headed out to the Rioja region where most of the bodegas we represent are located. We had a few jam-packed days visiting the bodegas and sampling the new vintages and new wines that many of the winemakers have been working on. We first stopped at one of the most famous producers of classic Rioja wines, La Rioja Alta. We visited their amazing facility as well as tasted through their family of wines. I always love to try these wines as you are able to taste and feel the history of Rioja when drinking these delicate, delicious wines. We had fantastic meals at every bodega, and even had the classic Riojana dish “chuletillas a la parilla” (lamb chops grilled over last years dried vines) at both Bodegas Ondalan and Bodegas Medrano Irazu. We also had the opportunity to catch up with “Mr. Non-stop,” Miguel Angel from Bodegas Miguel Angel Muro. This man has more energy that anyone I have met and he has been busy creating a wonderful new reserva wine, which we were able to enjoy. We also caught up with the husband and wife duo of Charo and Julian from Bodegas Ruiz de Vinaspre, where we had the opportunity to try their new line of wines that didn’t disappoint. At Bodegas Santiago Ijalba we were able to try many of the new vintages, and I was most excited to try their new organic wine.  Even with all these visits in a short amount of time, we were also able to enjoy some free time in the village of La Guardia. This turned out to be absolutely chaotic as there was a huge soccer match between Barcelona and local favorites, Atletico Bilbao. People were partying in the street setting off what seemed like quarter sticks of dynamite based on the sound of the explosions- and this was even with their loss to FC Barcelona! Europeans are soccer crazy to say the least……There is always something new to experience in Rioja; I think that is what keeps us going back! 

Once our tour of Rioja had ended, we drove up north to one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, San Sebastian. This is still one of my favorite cities to visit as they have the most incredible gastronomy scenes in Europe, it’s unbelievable. From the hundreds of tapas bars and a visit to a traditional sideria, we experienced some amazing food and wine while finally being able to relax a bit as our non-stop schedule had finally come to an end. Our visit to San Sebastian was the perfect way to end our wine filled tour of Spain and Portugal and reflect on all the amazing sites and generous people we had seen and met.

With the month of April at its halfway point, I thought I would take the opportunity to fill our readers in with what we have scheduled in the upcoming days and months. At the end of this month is the Pennsylvania Wine Week, kicking off April 30th in Pittsburgh, before heading to Hershey and finishing in Philadelphia. We had an absolutely amazing time at these events last year and cant wait to head back to pour some amazing wines for everyone attending. Anyone living close to any of the three events should definitely attend if able, there are going to be some amazing producers, importers and distributors showing wines from all over the world- as well as the good old U-S of A!

After the final event wraps up in Philadelphia, my father and I will fly directly over to Spain and Portugal to visit several new bodegas we’re beginning to work with and to tour their facilities. We’re obviously very excited about the trip as our traveling adventures are the best part of our job! (well, drinking all this delicious wine isn’t too bad either). We’ll be visiting quite a range of wineries, from smaller Portuguese producers like Quinta da Carregosa to medium sized bodegas such as Coto de Gomariz in Galicia ,as well as the world renowned Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero. Also on the trip list is Rioja Alavesa and  Bodegas Ondalan, Medrano Irazu, Ruiz de Vinaspre and Miguel Angel Muro which I can’t wait to see as he has been totally remodeling his bodega. We will also visit the wonderful Basque country of Spain where, in my humble opinion, they have the most exciting food and dining experiences in Europe. We’ll be visiting many other bodegas and areas that I’ll include in upcoming posts, so grab a bottle or two (Spanish or Portuguese please as that’s where we’ll be!) and be patient as I publish bits and peices of our trip.

As the trip in Europe winds down, my father will fly home to attend the 21st Anuual Jackson Hole Wine Festival on May 22nd. While he is enjoying the wonderful scenery in Jackson, I will spend a few days in Barcelona catching up with friends, including Ryan and Gabriella from Catavino.net who never disappoint with their food and wine adventures. I’ll be trying to get new posts published as often as I can while traveling, so stay tuned for a TON of new posts!!

Cheers,

Michael

2009 has been a huge success so far for Bodegas Santiago Ijalba, gaining recognition in several wine expos and magazines. Most recently, the 2004 Ogga Reserva and the 2004 Viña Hermosa Reserva received 3 star recommendations in the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards. The final results will be released in May of this year, but the fine people at Decanter have informed all winning recipients of their awards before the official May release.

Also of importance which I find VERY exciting, is the bronze medal awarded to the 2004 Mutuo Organic Crianza at the “Challenge Millesime Bio 2009.” The event was held in January in Montpellier France and is arguably the most important wine event for organic wines. The event aims to promote the growing demand for organic wines, as well as the improvements in the  quality of wines that producers around the globe are striving to achieve. With their brand Viña Hermosa, Bodegas Santiago Ijalba has been involved in organic wine research and development for 10 years and this award is the perfect recognition for all their hard work and dedication. As more producers rise to meet the many environmental challenges of our time, look for more organic wines to gain the attention of wine publications and critics worldwide.

Cheers,

Michael

A few months ago my father and I were contacted by the beverage manager and several members of the Park Meadows Country Club in Park City to help out with a Spanish themed dinner for their members. They hold several of these events a year for their members and it’s a wonderful way for everyone to get together and learn about new and exciting wine regions that they may not be familiar with. We were of course very excited to have been contacted about the possibility to help out with the wine education part of the evening.

After the wines had been selected, it was up to the chef to come up with a menu that would compliment each wine, and we waited anxiously to see what he would come up with to go along with several wines from our portfolio. We were quite excited when we received the menu and saw that the chef had done an incredible job pairing up Spanish themed food with the wines and couldn’t wait to try everything!

The event was held this past Friday, but unfortunately my father ended up not being able to attend, so I drove up to Park City hoping one person would be sufficient to speak with everyone. Thankfully there was a PA system with a microphone, so I was able to speak about each wine while everything was being served. And, since I didn’t know anyone there, I was happy to find myself sitting at a table with a wonderful group of people from Arkansas who are members of the club and spend some time in Utah every year. I was even more amazed to find out that they had flown in that day and had actually attended a Spanish wine tasting the night before in Little Rock! I was very excited that hear that Spanish wine is still being featured at other tastings throughout the country and hope that trend continues. As the courses came out, we had wonderful discussions about the food and wine, the economy, the skiing and golfing, and all sorts of dinner table topics. I enjoyed myself immensely with these people as I am a firm believer that wine doesn’t need to be pretentious and snotty, but something to be enjoyed with family, friends and new people!

My favorite part of the evening was chatting with everyone about which pairing was their personal favorite and listening to them all explain why. We had some interesting match-ups all evening, but I think the overall winner in terms of expanding the member’s palates was the desert pairing of Pedro Ximenez sherry and some wonderful goat, sheep, and cow cheeses with wonderful fruits. Many people had never tasted Pedro Ximenez, let alone a sherry, so I think it was a pleasant surprise to taste the unctuous, syrupy like weight of the “raisins in a bottle” as agreed on calling it.

At the end of the evening, we all agreed that the chef had hit every plate spot on and really made the evening complete with his creativity. So, compliments to the chef and I hope there are some newfound Spanish wine lovers out there, from Park City to Little Rock, and everywhere outside and in between!

Spanish Wine Pairing Dinner
Friday, March 20

First Course
Roasted Dates and Serrano Ham With Radicchio, Shaved
Manchego and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Ruiz de Vinaspre, Crianza 2002

Second Course
Herb Crumbed Sea Scallops Ratatouille, Light Tomato
Coulis, Citrus Butter
Coto de Gomariz, Blanco 2006

 Third Course
Pancetta Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Piquillo Peppers
and Wild Mushroom Ragout, Quince Jam
Ondalan 100 Abades, 2005

Fourth Course
Molasses and Cherry Braised Short Ribs,
Chorizo Saffron Rice, White Asparagus Gratin
Medrano Irazu Reserva, 2001, 2003

Fifth Course
A Selection of Spanish Cheeses With Grape Foccacia
and Stone Fruits
Pedro Ximenez, Sherry

If you were to ask most wine producers about the market in Utah, I’m sure responses would range from  “Where is Utah” to “Drinking is illegal there, isn’t it?” However, more and more importers and distributors are doing a great job of bringing producers and wine makers to Utah for special events, dinners and tastings.

This past Sunday around 40 people had the wonderful opportunity to meet, eat and drink with Senor Joseph Puig from Vinedos de Ithaca in the Priorat region of Spain. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the event held at the always delicious Lugano restaurant here in Salt Lake. As an Italian restaurant, head chef Greg Neville didn’t disappoint with his Spanish themed dinner, which included such classic dishes and ingredients as paella, Jamon Iberico and one of my favorite cheeses, Cabrales.

The wines being produced by Senor Puig and his daughter Sylvia are classic Priorat wines, with all the minerals and ripe fruits you would typically find in wines from the region. Each wine has a very distinct label, and I was quite confused the first time I saw them, as they all have very Greek inspired designs. Playing heavily of the bodegas namesake, the wines we tasted at the dinner were the Akyles Red, as well as the Odysseus Red and White. I found the Odysseus red most intriguing as it had wonderful hints of cola, and absolutely incredible color extraction. Most surprisingly about the wine was its inclusion of 10% Touriga Nacional, a common Portuguese grape variety.

Senor Puig was a wonderfully open and warm person, which I have found all to often in every part of Spain. He was passionate about his work and clearly enjoyed the evening walking around the room speaking with people about his wonderful wines. He is involved in many different ventures in Spain, owning several restaurants, a high end delicatessen and is also the founder and manager of Torres in Chile and the international sales manager for Torres Spain. Being involved in so many different areas of the wine and gastronomic world, his passion clearly shines through in his wines and warm smile and gently manner.

Vinedos de Ithaca wines are available in Utah through the UDABC as well as selected markets throughout the US. If these wines are available in your market, I highly recommend seeking them out and trying them for yourself!

–Michael

Lately the unusual weather patterns in Europe have been
making news.

Abnormal amounts of rain and snow in many places in Spain,
and terrific winds in

Southern France and Northern Spain, all affecting their
respective historical wines regions.

Fortunately, damage to the vines has been marginal. In
speaking to Carlos Rodriguez of Bodegas Ondalan, he gives thanks to the fact
that the vines are dormant and without leaves. Had this kind of wind hit when
fruit was on the vine, it would have been an unimaginable catastrophe.

With the torments having past, his thoughts have turned to
the future, and as to what effect all the heavy rains and snow will impact the
upcoming spring. “I think that the vines will be producing heavily and will
just mean a lot of work when we green cut. Having suffered though such a winter,
hopefully we will be lucky and have an above average summer.”

Also in France, we have similar news from Bertrand De Sercy
of Chateau Rocher in St. Emilon. “It is a real mess with the forests south of
us…many patches of trees completely toppled and blocking the roads…power lines
down, it’s terrible. Luckily for us and our vineyards there was no real damage,
but as you can imagine, we had some tiles blown of the roof and that sort of
thing.”  

With the latest storm occurring late last night/early
morning February 10th crippling power lines for millions of people in northern
France and halting air traffic at all Paris airports, we will certainly be watching
the weather patterns. So far there has not been any substantial damage to vines
or property of the producers we work with in France and Spain, but we will
continue to check the weather with a bit of tension.

–Peter Grisley